FFF - Ch82

“And why not? You think me bringing back a living legend wouldn’t earn that?” Jane is lost.

“Jane, you said something about her telling you what happened to someone. Who?”

“Daisy.”

“Daisy who?”

“What?”

“What’s her name, Jane?” Curio looks almost pitying.

“Her name is Daisy. She has red hair, not as dark as yours…”

“You said that something happened to her?”

Annette’s eyes narrow as she watches the exchange. Shell looks troubled.

“She left the Vault.”

“Then you know what happened to her,” Curio says.

“Maybe she’s in a vat like you were. Maybe she has her locked up somewhere,” Jane adds, turning to Annette.

“Jane, why wouldn’t the Overseer just tell you?”

“It’s probably sensitive. You know how rare it is for any of us to leave the Vault.”

“And you really think that the Overseer is the only person in possession of this information?” Curio presses. “It’s a Vault, Jane. Vault F isn’t even a large one. How long does it take rumors to spread down there?”

Jane swallows. Indeed, everyone knows everything down there.

“You’re saying that you don’t think the Overseer really knows? She just told me that to get me out here?”

“No, Jane. I don’t think anything happened to Daisy.”

Jane is affronted. “Why?”

“Because Daisy isn’t real. That thing in your neck? It’s not there because of any fall, and I don’t think you fell. I think it’s more likely you were pushed.” Curio says it gently. “The device looked different ten years ago. It didn’t work back then. It does now.”

“Device?”

“It was meant to make people suggestible. Even back then, our isolationism wasn’t accepted by everyone. The Overseer wanted to maintain her authority. That was why I had to leave a second time. That was why I suspected that we needed a change. Now they’ve developed it further and they’re using it on our people just to get DNA.”

Jane doesn’t know what to say.

“I remember her,” she says stubbornly.

“How did you meet?”

Jane hesitates.

“What are your parents’ names?”

Jane opens her mouth. Then she closes it.

“So they haven’t fixed that bit yet.” Curio grimaces. “That thing’s made a mess of you, Jane. If you want to be loyal to the ideals of the Vault, that’s all well and good. But don’t waste your loyalty on the Overseer.”

“Overseer Farlan was only elected five years ago. Maybe things aren’t what you think,” Jane says desperately.

“Five of the last seven overseers have been Farlans. The other two have been Dodds.” Curio takes a drink of water. “It’s exactly what I think it is. I wasn’t supposed to come back from my first trip, you know.”

“What?”

“They’d never approved a surface expedition like that before. They denied me a dozen times. Then I started asking questions. Suddenly, they were happy to let me go.”

Shell rests her chin on her hands, gazing across the table at Curio.

“You don’t want diplomatic relations with the Sisterhood. You want us to back your coup.”